So What's So Special About The Verizon iPhone? Personal Hotspots.

Yes, Verizon is getting the iPhone 4. And other than the fact that it will work on Verizon’s 3G CDMA network, it will look a lot like . . . AT&T’s iPhone 4. It will have a retina display, FaceTime, a 5 megapixel camera, HD video recording, and an Apple A4 chip. But it will also have one new feature exclusive to Verizon dubbed “Personal Hotspots.”

The Verizon iPhone will let you create a personal hotspot and share your data connection via WiFi with up to five other devices, such as laptops or other cell phones. It is much like Verizon’s popular Mifi data cards which allow users to share their wireless broadband with other people, and now you can do that with the iPhone, and tether your laptop to it. AT&T also allows tethering, but you can only tether one other device through a USB or Bluetooth connection. Verizon also supports Bluetooth and USB, but connecting via WiFi is just easier and supports more devices.

AT&T charges extra for tethering. Verizon typically charges $20 a month extra as well for personal hotspots on other devices such as Android phones with that feature. It is not clear whether Verizon will charge extra for personal hotspots (they are not talking about data plan pricing yet), but don’t be surprised if they do.